The rules to the game of Blackjack are well known in the prior art. Typically, there are two methods of playing traditional Blackjack: players compete against each other to obtain the highest hand that will total twenty-one or below, or one or more players compete against a dealer, otherwise known as the “house”. In both versions, the game is played with one or more decks of 52 cards wherein each card has an assigned value: face cards are worth ten, numbered cards two through ten are worth their face value, and aces are worth one or eleven at the election of the player. The game begins by each player receiving two cards. In sequence, each player is allowed to “hit” or request additional cards until the player “stays” or declines receiving any additional cards, or the value of the player's hand exceeds twenty-one. In the version that includes the house, each player tries to achieve a hand with a higher value than the house. The house usually must play under certain restrictions that require it to continue hitting until the value of the house's hand reaches a certain threshold value such as 16 or 17 or it exceeds 21.
Under the basic rules of Blackjack, a player's only concern is to beat the other players involved in the game or the house. The players entire strategy is focused on obtaining the best possible combination of cards that total 21, or come as close to 21 as possible. However, in a casino it is desirable to provide additional betting options so that the casino's chances of earning more money increases. One of the additional betting options would be to provide a second wager on the total value of the hand received from the dealer using modified rules of Poker.
In the card game of Poker, various combinations of cards have a certain hierarchal value. For instance, if a player is dealt a five card hand, the following is a list of hands from the most difficult to easiest in terms of the odds in obtaining such hands:
Name ofHandSample HandDescriptionRoyalA♥, K♥, Q♥, J♥, andHand must include the A, K, Q, J andFlush10♥10 and all cards must be of the samesuit.Straight3♥, 4♥, 5♥, 6♥, andHand must include five cards inFlush7♥sequential order and must be of thesame suit.Four ofA♥, 10 , 10♦, 10♥Four cards of the same value and anya Kindand 10 other cardFlushA♥, 4♥, 8♥, K♥, andAny five cards all having the same7♥suit.StraightJ , 10 , 9♦, 8♥andHand must include five cards in7 sequential order, can be of any suit.Three ofA♥, K♥, 10♦, 10♥Hand must include three cards of thea Kindand 10 same value.Two PairA♥, A  10 , 10♦,Hand must include two pairs of cardsand 6 having the same value.One PairA♥, A  7 , 10♦,Hand must include at least two cardsand 6 having the same value.
In Blackjack, a hand must consist of a minimum of two and no more than eleven cards. Therefore, it is possible that during the course of a Blackjack game the cards a player receives can be used not only to make a winning Blackjack hand, but also a winning Poker hand. If the rules of Poker hand valuation are modified to emphasize the lower-numbered cards, a player can simultaneously employ strategy to obtain a winning Blackjack hand and Poker hand. In certain instances, a player may have to choose between taking an additional card that would aid his or her Blackjack hand while destroying the potential for a winning poker hand, and vice versa.